This invention relates to the pressing of plywood veneer assemblies and like panel structures in multi-platen presses, and more particularly to method and apparatus for loading a plurality of plywood veneer assemblies in prepressed condition into a multi-platen hot press.
The loading of multi-platen hot presses heretofore has been accomplished by method and apparatus such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,366. A plurality of pre-pressed plywood veneer assemblies are deposited one onto each of a plurality of vertically spaced trays supported by a carriage movable toward and away from the hot press. Rear arms then are swung inwardly behind the assemblies and the carriage moved rearwardly, away from the hot press, to bring all of the assemblies into abutment with the arms. The vertically aligned assemblies then are moved into the hot press by moving the carriage forwardly, after which stripper arms are extended inwardly behind the assemblies to retain the latter in the hot press while the carriage trays are retracted from the press. The stripper arms then are retracted and the press closed to effect hot pressing of the assemblies.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,468 a plurality of assemblies to be pressed are deposited one onto each of a plurality of vertically spaced trays supported by a carriage movable toward and away from a press, the assemblies being positioned on the trays manually in vertically aligned condition after which the carriage is moved forwardly to bring the trays and assemblies into the hot press. Stripper bars then are moved in behind the assemblies to retain the latter in the hot press while the carriage trays are retracted from the press.